


from the cradle to the grave

by Sternstunde



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Also character death, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Mmmm, Protective Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Someone Please Hug Him, Time Travel Fix-It, basically a what if situation, ben and klaus best bros ever - a continuation, dw tho, huuug him, i wrote this at 1 am pls forgive me, its also a far fetched what-if by the way, klaus suffers im sorry, more or less, omg, sry, that happens yea, the endings also pretty fucked up in a sense, theres not much triggering except sadness and general angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:32:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternstunde/pseuds/Sternstunde
Summary: “Well, Five-y” he says, ignoring Five’s scoff, “let’s go stop the apocalypse.”Except the apocalypse never happens.They wait the whole day out and then Diego goes out and comes back with the newspaper of the second April.-To comfort her, Klaus stays with Vanya when she's caged in, but at what price?





	from the cradle to the grave

When Klaus sees Vanya caged in the vault, something inside of him screams, terrified and raw, and he’s spiraling into something hysterical and bitter.

 

Klaus knows he can’t let it continue. He can’t let her stay inside that damn cage, just because Allison got hurt and Luther can’t deal with it properly. He knows emotions are a thing, and he doesn’t blame Luther for overreacting, but he blames him for locking their sister in a vault.

 

God, why does Luther think that’s the best solution to anything bad that happens?

 

Ben’s gaze pierces through him, reading him like an open book, and Klaus can’t bring himself to look at his dead brother, because Ben knows. Knows all about the things he shouldn’t know about, but there’s not much you can hide from your dead brother nowadays. So, instead of focusing on Ben, he focuses on Luther and speaks, “This isn’t a good idea, Luther.”

 

He hopes, prays, that Luther hears his desperation and _understands_ , but the thing is, you don’t always get what you want.

 

So, Luther shakes his head. “She’s too dangerous, for now, she has to be caged in.”

 

Klaus looks at him, terror and fear in his eyes. “Luther, look at her! She’s _terrified_.”

 

“He’s right,” mutters Diego beside him, glaring at their brother. “You can’t do that.”

 

And then there’s Allison - who’s softly punching him, trying to tell him with gestures, that it’s not okay for him to cage her in, that Vanya’s long forgiven and doesn’t deserve this. But Luther never listens, so he shakes his head and grabs her by his arms, shoving her out of the room.

 

“N-Number One, _please_ ,” he mutters weakly, unsure what else to do.

 

Luther doesn’t even look at him, as he shakes his head and walks away.

 

And Klaus can’t help but think, that Luther’s just like their father in a way, _too similar_.

 

Diego sighs, turning around to walk away as well, but Klaus doesn’t.

 

“Klaus…?” Diego’s looking at him now, and he doesn’t know how he can just go on.

 

“This isn’t right,” he mumbles.

 

His brother’s eyes soften before he shakes his head. “It isn’t, but there’s not much we can do.”

 

“We can! We can free her!”

 

“Klaus, I get you, but have you seen the lock? There’s no way we can open that without the asshole’s strength.”

 

“But…”

 

“Nothing we can do, Klaus. But you know who can?” Diego says, smiling a bit. “Five does. We just gotta wait for him.”

 

And with those words, he walks upstairs, and Klaus looks at his retreating back, wondering why it’s just so easy for them to walk away.

 

But then he realizes - it’s been so easy for him too.

 

Always, so damn easy to turn your back and go, leaving everything else behind. To run away. Klaus is a pro in running away.

 

_“Klaus…?”_

 

Ben’s staring at him, so he smiles. “I don’t want to leave her alone.”

 

He remembers all those times as a kid, where he was sitting alone in that cold, dark mausoleum, full of all his fears.

 

Vanya doesn’t see the ghosts, but she doesn’t have to see them, to fear the dark and cold.

 

He steps closer to the vault and tries to unlock it - but that thing won’t even nudge. Vanya is still crying and he wishes there’s some way to comfort her, but he doubts she’d hear him.

 

“... I want to talk to her.”

 

_“Will writing be good enough?”_

 

He turns to look at Ben, who is pointing at Allison’s discarded notebook and pen. She must have dropped it when Luther took her out of the room.

 

“Bless you, Ben.” His brother smiles at him, as he goes to pick up the notebook and pen, before turning back to Vanya. She watches him, distrust and uncertainty in her eyes. He definitely can’t blame her.

 

**‘I’m sorry I’m too weak to open the lock and no one wants to help me.’**

 

It takes a few minutes, but then she slowly nods, signaling him to continue writing.

 

**‘So, instead, I’m going to stay here with you and give you some company - because being alone sucks.’**

 

Vanya blinks but nods again.

 

**‘I’m sorry Luther did that, he’s an ass and doesn’t know how to socialize.’**

 

She looks pained at the mentioned of Luther, and whilst he definitely can’t rebuke her for that, it just won’t do. He grins, knowing exactly how to lift her mood.

 

**‘Wanna know a dirty secret about Luther?’**

 

She doesn’t outright nod, but he can tell she’s curious, so he writes it down anyway.

 

**‘He’s a furry - and I know that because he went to a rave yesterday and popped someone's cherry.’**

 

He can see her eyes widen, and the way her mouth drops at that. _Score._

 

Ben’s chuckling beside him, amused by it, but by the way, he’s looking to the side, Klaus knows, that Ben’s still not over the whole rave thing.

 

**‘That’s true - I promise.’**

 

She nods slowly, a small smile on her face, and Klaus knows he can’t just stop there.

 

**‘Don’t tell him I told you though - I wasn’t supposed to, but you deserve to know.’**

 

Now she nods more firmly, and he grins back at her.

 

**‘Oh, lemme tell you about that one time I stayed overnight in jail.’**

 

Probably not a good topic, but it’s distracting her from everything wrong in her current situation, so he writes it down for her with enthusiasm.

 

And eventually he hears a sound from outside the room, and then Five runs in, eyes wide and hands shaking.

 

He sees Vanya and shakes his head.

 

“You weren’t lying….”

 

“Of course not,” replies Diego who comes in as well and then blinks upon seeing him. “You stayed here, Klaus?”

 

“Yeah,” he nods, not really in the mood to elaborate.

 

Five sighs and then jumps.

 

A second later and Vanya’s outside the vault, throwing herself at Klaus to hug him - and he hugs her right back, patting her head.

 

“It’s okay now,” he says.

 

“Why did you let her out?!”

 

Vanya flinches and Klaus narrows his eyes at Luther, who has just walked in, glaring at them all.

 

But then Five snaps.

 

“Why did you lock her up in the first place?! Are you that stupid?”

 

“It’s to keep everyone safe!”

 

“You mean Allison,” Diego replies.

 

Luther shakes his head, “she’s dangerous.”

 

“So is the rest of us,” responds Five, clearly not in the right state of mind to deal with Luther’s bullshit - and Klaus gets it, really. The guy’s been trying to stop an apocalypse, but his own brother is ruining it for him with his bad decisions.

 

“I understand that, but she’s almost killed Allison!”

 

Klaus can’t handle it anymore. He can see Five is ready to commit a murder - the victim being Luther and Diego has never gotten along with Luther, so of course, he would join. Then there’s Ben, who’s glaring at Luther and Vanya - Vanya who’s tightening her grip on his clothes, too scared to get closed in that cage again.

 

_Just like a little boy with green eyes, who has never liked mausoleums._

 

“You left me to die,” he speaks up for the first time since Luther arrived.

 

Everyone looks at him now and Ben’s smirking, probably feeling some form of Schadenfreude.

 

“That…,” says Luther, but he doesn’t continue the sentence.

 

“What do you mean? Die?”

 

Five is looking at him, confusion evident in his eyes and Klaus closes his own.

 

“At the rave, Luther. The one where you got high, stole someone’s girlfriend and let the boyfriend kill me because I tried to defend you.”

 

Vanya gasps, understanding dawning on her and Diego looks outright murderous.

 

But Five?

 

Five turns to Luther, and speaks, venom in his voice, “you should go upstairs _now_.”

 

And Luther does, because they all understand that Five _will_ actually kill someone if provoked enough. Then Five sighs, and turns to look Klaus over, before he nods, seeming… _relieved?_

Now he just has to avoid mentioning that he actually dies-

 

“How did you defend yourself,” asks Diego and Klaus wants to scream.

 

He can’t lie his way out, Five will definitely notice and Ben will judge him for like the next three decades.

 

“Klaus?” Vanya’s staring at him, so he sighs and tells them.

 

“I didn’t.”

 

Diego looks baffled at that. “What?”

 

“I died, Diego,” he says, as he pats Vanya’s head, “and then I came back to life because apparently dear Daddy was right when he said I had a shitton of potential.”

 

Klaus grins at them weakly, and before he knows it, Vanya’s hugging him again, and Diego is joining in, Ben does too, even if only Klaus sees him. Well, Five doesn’t join in but he pats him on the arm, and that gotta count for something, right?

 

“Well, Five-y,” he says, ignoring Five’s scoff, “let’s go stop the apocalypse.”

 

Except the apocalypse never happens.

 

They wait the whole day out, and then Diego goes out and comes back with the newspaper of the second April.

 

Five cries - even when he keeps on denying it, the look of pure relief and happiness will always be engraved in their memories.

 

* * *

 

They wonder how in the world the apocalypse got stopped, but just assume it’s because of Leonard’s death. Klaus knows though, that sometimes Five looks at Vanya and he understands. Maybe there’s more to it, but it’s done now.

 

Luther eventually gets the scolding of his life from Allison and apologizes to Vanya, who accepts it but stays away from him - then, unexpectedly, he turns to Klaus.

 

“Sorry,” he says, avoiding his eyes, “I shouldn’t have left you to die.”

 

Klaus blinks and smiles - that’s a start.

 

“It’s okay… well, probably not. But you’re learning from this, right?”

 

When Luther nods, it’s a promise, one to keep.

 

Then they focus on Vanya, who’s off pills and with powers she can’t control - kind of just like him, huh.

 

Ben points it out to him, and he grins. “Guess it’s in the family.”

 

It takes weeks, and eventually, she can use noise to break the glass. Then the weeks turn into months and she’s getting steadier and steadier.

 

Allison eventually improves by a lot - her therapist confirms it, and she moves back to L.A, trying to get back to Claire.

 

Luther stays at the mansion for a while but then leaves off to somewhere else, wanting to widen his horizons and gain new perspectives on life.

 

Diego’s able to attend Eudora Patch’s funeral after being able to prove that Cha-Cha’s the one who killed her. Then he goes onto his path to become a detective, it sounds cliche to Klaus, but he understands, that emotions are emotions.

 

Five either trains Vanya, makes sure they don’t get attacked by the commission - until some time traveler comes, and tells them they actually got orders to let them be, because time _adapts_ to whatever it wants - so he relaxes and continues to linger in the mansion, solving equations and getting into arguments about science on the internet. It’s rather cute.

 

Klaus stays sober. It’s fucking annoying, he doesn’t like being sober, the ghosts are screaming, but his siblings now try to stop him and he can’t trick them anymore - also the prospect of making Ben corporeal wins over the drugs in the end. Somewhat. Ben gets to talk with his siblings more.

 

Life goes on, it does, and it’s getting better. For all of them.

 

Eventually, he learns how to blend the ghosts out, not fully, but a lot quieter and that’s already a big improvement.

 

Eventually, Diego manages to be a detective, showcasing his badge proudly.

 

Eventually, Allison has shared custody over Claire with Patrick.

 

Eventually, Five pisses off and simultaneously impresses a shitton of people on the internet.

 

Eventually, Luther comes back, still awkward, but a lot better.

 

Eventually, everyone attends Vanya’s concert where she’s the first chair.

 

Eventually, Ben’s more corporeal than incorporeal.

 

It should have been a happy ending.

 

That should have been all.

 

But time plays by its own rules.

 

* * *

 

The first to die is Vanya.

 

It’s a car accident and he’s in the mansion, taking the call. The moment he finds out a nurse is calling, he knows something is wrong, and then he finds out she died.

 

He finishes the call and stares at the wall for a few minutes.

 

“Klaus?”

 

Five is staring at him from the couch, and he doesn’t know how to tell him. How to fucking tell him, that they all survived the fucking apocalypse only for their sister - Five’s favorite sibling - to die because of a car crash.

 

_“Tell him now.”_

 

Ben who’s sitting on the couch, looks with horror at their sister, standing in the middle of the room, her clothes full of blood and her whole right arm damaged beyond repair.

 

“Klaus?” Five looks at him, irritated by the lack of an answer.

 

 _“Klaus,”_ says Vanya gently.

 

And he starts chuckling hollowly.

 

Five's panicking, unsure what to do, but Klaus _knows_ , so he says it.

 

"H-hospital called… Vanya… died."

 

Five searches for a lie in his face, and when he doesn't find one, he leaves in blue light.

 

Vanya smiles at him, sorrow in her eyes.

 

_"It's how it is."_

 

Ben nods, incorporeal, staring at his dead sister. _"It really is."_

 

There's a funeral, and Vanya tells them, that she's okay with everything except a statue like Ben got. Ben grins at that.

 

Five's not as happy, but he got a medium as a brother, so he's not fully lost.

 

* * *

 

The second to die is Luther.

 

No one's sure how exactly, but his body collapses on him and he gets sick. Really sick.

 

They ask Pogo for help, but he just shakes his head, not sure what's wrong.

 

Days pass by and he gets weaker and weaker.

 

He dies three days before they get the news, that Diego died on the job.

 

Klaus looks at the two new ghosts and grins. "Hi, there, it's been awhile."

 

They roll their eyes at him.

 

* * *

 

Diego dies on the job.

 

It's a rather mysterious investigation, they don't have as much information as usual, but they deal with it, and catch the murderer.

 

It should have been fine, except there was an accomplice they didn't know about, which comes out of nowhere, with a gun and shots.

 

Diego bleeds out before help arrives.

 

At the funeral, Allison, Five and Klaus stare at their dead siblings and sigh.

 

So much to happiness.

 

* * *

 

Then Allison dies.

 

She's in a car as well. With Patrick and Claire. No one makes it out alive, not even the driver.

 

But the thing is, she tells him, the driver wanted to kill them.

 

Upon hearing the news, Five gets a bottle of alcohol and drinks the whole thing.

 

Allison smiles bitterly at her grave.

 

_"I'm happy Claire moved on."_

 

He looks up, from tucking Five into his bed. "You could too."

 

She shakes her head. _"For now I'll watch over you as well."_

 

* * *

 

After the death of their siblings, Five gets overprotective of Klaus. He won't leave his side, makes sure that if he does, Klaus calls in all the time. Checks everything for danger and pretty much lives keeping them both alive.

 

Klaus doesn't blame him, but that Five reminds him a lot of the time when the apocalypse was still a thing, and it's been around seven years since then.

 

His dead siblings agree with him.

 

"Klaus? Ah, there you are," Five mumbles, dropping down on the couch beside him.

 

The thing is, Five continues to age nicely. And Klaus?

 

Klaus stopped aging.

 

Klaus has an inkling, that this has something to do with his powers, and well, Five agrees. So, now he's trying to find out what is wrong.

 

 _"Maybe, it's connected to that one time at the rave,"_ mentions Ben.

 

Klaus blinks at that, before nodding slowly. That seems like it would be connected.

 

Besides the aging issue though, they are doing okay. That is until five years later, and Klaus still looks the same.

 

"You've completely stopped aging," Five mutters, tired beyond his years.

 

Klaus tries to get him to rest, to stop researching it all together, but Five continues anyway.

 

Then Five dies because of an alcohol overdose and he wants to scream.

 

The siblings look at the new ghost in their circle, and Five sighs. _"I'm an idiot."_

 

Some of them agree, but Klaus thinks - as fucked up it sounds - this seems like the only way for Five to rest, and maybe, just maybe, some unconscious part of Five wanted it.

 

* * *

 

Years pass and he tells them to move on. At first, they refuse, but then…

 

* * *

 

Allison goes first, wanting to see her daughter.

 

She looks at him, eyes full of sadness, but he smiles at her.

 

"You deserve to be at peace."

 

She nods. _"I love you, don't forget that."_

 

* * *

 

Vanya follows eventually, unable to stay behind any longer and he pats her head and tells her, that she'll be fine.

 

She chuckles. _"You always are comforting and reassuring me."_

 

She moves on.

 

* * *

 

He expects Five to be the next one, but Five's still mad at himself for dying.

 

It's from Diego.

 

He held out so long, but Klaus understands.

 

"Go and see her again."

 

Diego nods. _"Thank you."_

 

He's gone too.

 

* * *

 

Luther's next.

 

He smiles awkwardly at Klaus, sadness radiating off him.

 

Klaus pats his arm and grins. "Go get that peace."

 

_"I will."_

 

* * *

 

Five refuses to go.

 

"Five…"

 

_"No, not happening anytime soon."_

 

Klaus narrows his eyes. "Stop blaming yourself."

 

Five scoffs and shakes his head. _"I could have tried,"_ he mumbles.

 

Now Klaus is scoffing. "You tried more than anyone else I know. You tried _too much._ "

 

_"What are you trying to say?"_

 

"That everyone deserves peace, but you? You deserve it a lot more, if not the most."

 

Five looks to the side and Klaus smiles.

 

It goes on for five days, then Five moves on.

 

* * *

 

He thought Five would be the most difficult, but Ben outright refuses to budge.

 

"Ben…"

 

_"No, I'm not moving on."_

 

He argues with Ben about it for days, but then days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, months turn into years, and then a whole new generation is starting and Klaus still looks as old he was when he stopped aging.

 

Ben's still there too and even then.

 

"Ben?"

 

_"Nope, not moving on."_

 

Klaus stops asking.

 

Instead Ben and he observe as many generations come and pass. Klaus has long ago starting to hide behind fake identities.

 

He's immortal and Klaus doesn't think there's a worse joke than that.

 

Except so, so much time later. So, so many decades later he walks into the kitchen and gets a knife.

 

_"Klaus?"_

 

He smiles at Ben. "Sorry, for what's about to happen, brother dearest."

 

_"Kla-"_

 

He shoves the knife into his heart.

 

* * *

 

He wakes up to waste, blue sky and a landscape.

 

God blinks. _"Here for a visit?"_

 

He's never realized it before, but she talks just like ghosts do.

 

"I can't die," he says instead.

 

_"I know."_

 

"You told me my time would come. When?"

 

She sighs. _"It already passed you by. So, so many years ago."_

 

It takes him a bit, but then he gasps, realizing what she meant. _The apocalypse._

 

He looks at the ground. "So… I just stay alive forever?"

 

And maybe it's because of how broken he sounds, or because she has a heart, but she makes him an offer.

 

_"I can give you one way to fix this."_

 

_Fix._

 

"How?"

 

 _"Travel back in time."_ And let the apocalypse happen, stays unsaid but lingers in the air.

 

He doesn't want to do this to Five, he really doesn't, but God, he's _beyond tired_.

 

"Okay."

 

She smiles _. "Choose wisely, which moment?"_

 

He thinks about Five, the apocalypse, Leonard's death and makes a realization.

 

_Vanya._

 

"I… want to go back to when Vanya was locked in that fault... and I was arguing with Luther to let her out."

 

God nods,  a bitter smile on her face.

 

_"So you shall."_

 

Everything turns dark.

 

* * *

 

He blinks and-

 

“He’s right,” mutters Diego beside him, glaring at their brother. “You can’t do that.”

 

And then there’s Allison - who’s softly punching him, trying to tell him with gestures, that it’s not okay for him to cage her in, that Vanya’s long forgiven and doesn’t deserve this, but Luther never listens, so he shakes his head and grabs her by his arms, shoving her out of the room.

 

Klaus doesn't say anything.

 

Diego sighs, turning around to walk away as well, but Klaus doesn’t.

 

“Klaus…?” Diego’s looking at him now, and he doesn’t know how he can just go on.

 

"I'm coming," he mutters and walks after Diego.

 

_"Klaus!"_

 

He ignores Ben's accusing tone and continues to walk.

 

A part of him hates himself for it.

 

Another's oddly relieved.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, that was as much as a ride, as much questioning how the fuck I came up with this.
> 
> Later on he makes Ben corporeal, Vanya fucks the moon up, and Five goes, "Let's time-travel" and Klaus thinks to himself, "Istg, if I survive this." But like gkjdfkgld
> 
> It's 9am, I have a free day (it's Labor day here) and I'm gonna go back to sleep, because I forgot to turn of my alarm, so I woke up at 6am and finished writing this, so I could post it.
> 
> Ooof, I hope the stars shine brightly for you whenever night approaches - i


End file.
